Protection Detail
by BackgroundRobot-11
Summary: For their first post Geonosis mission, Hyperion Squad is tasked with protecting two senators back to their home sectors.
1. Chapter 1

22 BBY

Coruscant

Hyperion Squad had been called into the office of the Director of Special Forces, General Iri Camas. The sat around the meeting table, made of a dark blue stone that Destroyer assumed was sapphire. It was beautiful, Destroyer admitted, albeit somewhat ostentatious. He idly wondered who had ordered it. Certainly not Camas, Destroyer was sure that the General would have preferred a much simpler one. Destroyer had only met two Jedi, but the impression he got from them was that they preferred things that were simple and practical over flashy and elaborate. Then again, the first Jedi they had met had constructed a lightsaber out of bone, so perhaps that wasn't a hard and fast rule.

"You've been assigned to protection detail. Senators Silya Shessaun of the Thesme Sector and Bruenor Kymeri of the Belsmuth Sector. You're to ensure their safety as they're transported back to their respective sectors." General Camas informed them.

"Protection detail?" Jawbreaker balked "With respect, General, we're commandos. Isn't this something for the Senate Guard to handle?"

Destroyer got the impression that Jawbreaker didn't think too highly of General Camas. That might have had something to do with the fact that the general had refused to allow Jawbreaker to try to take out the Nulls when they had seized Arca Barracks. Jawbreaker had been perfectly willing to have Hyperion Squad go in and attempt to neutralise the unruly ARC troopers, but General Camas would have none of it. He had said that they didn't want the Nulls dead, just put back into place. Even after Jawbreaker had argued that the Nulls were dangerous and insubordinate. It hadn't helped that Camas had called in Skirata and bowed to his demands.

For his part, Destroyer couldn't bring himself to dislike Camas. But then, he wasn't particularly fond of him either. He was simply an adequate commander. Although-and this was something Destroyer would never admit to Jawbreaker-he was somewhat glad that Camas had not allowed them to fight the Nulls. Destroyer was a good soldier, he knew that, and Hyperion Squad could be formidable in combat. The Nulls, however, were even better, in spite of their mental issues. Going up against them would have been as good as suicide.

"As a matter of fact, there will be a squad of Senate Guards assisting you on this assignment."

Jawbreaker raised a brow "Well, then I'm really confused. Surely our involvement won't be necessary?"

General Camas sighed "I agree that this is excessive, but both senators have received multiple death threats in the past week. Senator Kymeri is a strong Republic supporter and Senator Shessaun is crucial in keeping the Thesme Sector from seceding. Needless to say, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine wants to ensure their safety."

"What kind of ship will we be taking?" Jawbreaker asked.

"The Consular-Class cruiser, _Point of Light_ will be your vessel."

Jawbreaker placed a hand on his chin "A little conspicuous, isn't it? Why not just take an AA-9 freighter? We can hide them amongst the civilians."

"And ditch the Senate Guards," Genet added, his arms folded.

General Camas snorted "You've met a senator before, do you think Wodrata would have taken a common transport?"

Jawbreaker paused to think it over "Point."

"As it is, this should be a simple mission, nothing to sweat over. Now, since you'll be aboard a ship for most of it, you'll be leaving the anti-armour attachment for your rifles behind. And of course, no grenades, barring flashbangs."

Jawbreaker nodded "Of course."

"Good, glad you understand. Dismissed, Hyperion." Camas ushered for them to stand.

As they made to leave, Jawbreaker paused at the door, and the rest of Hyperion Squad stopped with him "General?"

Camas looked up "Yes, Sergeant?"

Jawbreaker hesitated for a moment, before he asked: "Any word on Epsilon Squad?"

Camas blinked, surprised. After a moment, he frowned and cast his eyes down onto his desk. For a moment, Destroyer felt his heart stop. "Ah, Epsilon Squad…yes. Sergeant Vinegar and Private Orar made it back, but Corporal Horax and Private Qyzen…did not."

Destroyer let out a sharp intake of air. Hyperion Squad and Epsilon Squad had always been close. To think that half of them had been killed on Geonosis was unbearable. How would Vinegar and Orar possibly feel, knowing that their squadmates were dead? Destroyer shuddered, it was not something he wanted to consider. Hyperion had been lucky to escape the desert world with no fatalities, and they had some close calls while performing their mission. They had been tasked with escorting Senator Rogwa Wodrata to safety after the woman had second thoughts about joining the Separatists. Genet's LAAT had been blown out of the sky as they were being deployed, and Destroyer himself had been shot. It was only because of the durability of their armour that they had survived.

Jawbreaker closed his eyes and clenched his fists "I see. Have they been issued new troopers?"

Camas picked up a datapad and glanced over it before answering "Yes, O-Four of Terantatek Squad and Sentry of Kandosii Squad." Camas hesitated, before adding: "I'm sorry, Sergeant."

Jawbreaker nodded "Thank you, General." And at that, he swivelled around and strode off, the rest of Hyperion hurrying to catch up.

Cabur spoke up, placing a hand on the Sergeant's shoulder "Jawbreaker, do you want to-?"

"No. I just want to get this assignment done with," Jawbreaker said brusquely, shaking off Cabur's hand.

"Maybe we can check in on them and see how they're doing when we get back?" Destroyer suggested.

"Maybe." Was all Jawbreaker said, his pace increasing.

Apparently realising that their sergeant didn't want to talk about it, Genet chose that moment to change the topic.

"So, why do we have to work with a bunch of honour guards who have probably never seen combat before anyway?" Genet complained.

"They were probably assigned, same as us. Although I doubt they're going to be any more pleased than us about this arrangement. They're probably going to complain that we're stepping on their toes." Jawbreaker sighed.

"Maybe they'll appreciate the help?" Destroyer offered.

"Would you?" Jawbreaker asked.

Destroyer's mouth twisted in thought "Probably not, no. The experts being forced to work alongside some newbies with little experience in the subject. I guess that can't feel too good."

Destroyer suddenly felt very awkward. This probably wouldn't endear them to the Senate Guardsmen. He just hoped that they wouldn't be too sore about it. With any luck, they would be professional about the situation.

"All things considered, probably should have just let the Blue Boys babysit the senators. We've got better things to do. Other squads have been sent out already," Genet muttered.

"Genet, don't try to start anything with them." Cabur warned "Last thing we need to do is make more enemies. Bad enough with the Separatists and the Nulls, we don't want to get another group on our backs."

Genet raised his hands "Hey, I won't go and pick a fight with them…providing they do the same."

"No, you won't do anything, period," Jawbreaker said, turning back to look at Genet "We're professionals and we're going to act like it. Understood?" He cast his eyes over each of them.

"Yes, Sergeant," They said in unison. Genet was noticeably less enthusiastic than the others, and Jawbreaker gave him a long, hard stare.

"Genet?" Jawbreaker prompted, an edge to his voice.

Genet sighed, "Yes, Sergeant. No pre-emptive strikes or retaliations."

Jawbreaker nodded "Good. Now, let's get prepped."

* * *

As General Camas had ordered, they had left their anti-armour attachments behind and had not bothered with grenades or high-powered blasters. They had also ditched their sniper attachments. Their jobs were just to ensure the safety of the senators while they were being ferried to their respective planets. Their jobs ended the moment the senators stepped off the ship, and snipers would just be cumbersome in such a small, confined space. In the end, they decided to only leave with their deeces and some flashbangs. Destroyer had also ran back to the barracks to collect something.

"Is the sketchbook really necessary, Destroyer?" Genet asked.

"Never know when you're going to see something worth drawing," Destroyer said with a shrug "Besides, I need the practice."

"Honestly, I doubt you're going to get much inspiration on the trip. All we're gonna see is stars and some stuck up, pompous bureaucrats." Genet pointed out.

Destroyer just shrugged again. He knew Genet was probably tight, but still.

* * *

They stood waiting for them at the landing platform. The two senators, five Senate Guards and two other beings. Behind them was their transport.

The _Point of Light_ , a _Consular_ -Class cruiser. A mainstay of the Republic Judicial Corps before the outbreak of the Clone Wars, the line had since been repurposed. Now they boasted a set of double turbolaser cannons and two concussion missile launchers to better defend themselves. In addition, it had been repainted, so that it was white with a red stripe running down its back.

The male senator, Bruenor Kymeri was a few years younger than Sergeant Kelborn, mid-fifties. He had black hair with grey streaks along the side and a carefully trimmed beard on his face. He stood ramrod straight, with his hands clasped behind his back. There were several medals pinned to his beige senatorial robes and looking closely, Destroyer could see the bulge of a concealed blaster pistol on his hip. _He's ex-military_ , Destroyer realised. The idea that someone could actually leave their army was a foreign concept to Destroyer. He was expected to fight for as long as the war lasted. After that, who could say?

Senator Silya Shessaun was much younger, in her early-thirties. She was blonde and wore blue Senatorial robes. She looked considerably more relaxed than Senator Kymeri, even somewhat bored. Her gaze flicked over Hyperion Squad one by one. Her lack of interest surprised Destroyer. One would think that threats against her life would bring concern, but she seemed quite nonchalant. Destroyer wondered if she was the kind of person who was cool under pressure, or just wasn't taking the danger seriously. Destroyer sincerely hoped that it was the former, a reckless or stupid senator would be a nightmare to protect.

There was a young woman standing beside senator Shessaun. Considering it, Destroyer realised that she was probably an assistant of some kind. Her black hair was tied back into a bun, and she wore similar robes to her senator. The woman peered at them curiously. Destroyer supposed that he couldn't blame her, this was all no doubt new to her. Still, the staring did make him feel somewhat self-conscious. It reminded him of his training days, after a breaking charge had gone off in his face. The results had left him badly scarred. The other cadets had stared then too.

The other aide was also a woman, perhaps in her mid-twenties. She was pretty enough, although not strikingly so, and had mousy, brown hair. Destroyer noticed that had tucked her right ear behind her hair, but the left was uncovered. Strange. Perhaps asymmetry was fashionable on Coruscant?

Senator Kymeri beamed as they approached and strode towards them in greeting "Ah, Hyperion Squad! So glad that you arrived!"

"Senator Kymeri," Jawbreaker said evenly, nodding to the man.

Kymeri eagerly thrust out his hand for Jawbreaker, and after a second's hesitation, Jawbreaker accepted it. Kymeri began to shake Jawbreaker's hand vigorously. "It's an honour to meet one of the new defenders of the Republic. It's about time we had an army again. The Ruusan Reformation was a travesty, an absolute travesty. It left us so open and vulnerable, frankly I'm amazed that we weren't dragged into war sooner!"

Destroyer had no idea what the Ruusan Reformation was, and judging by pause, Jawbreaker didn't seem to either "Ah, yes, well I suppose the Jedi and the Judicial Forces have been doing an adequate job in the absence of an actual army."

Kymeri shrugged, his expression suggesting that he was not convinced "Oh, well enough, I suppose. But they're no replacement for the real thing. As I said, it's a good thing you and your fellow troopers are here to defend us. I'm sure the planets of the Republic will be perfectly safe under your watch, as will we."

"Yes, Senator, we aim to do our best."

Kymeri leaned closer to Jawbreaker and clasped his hand "I'm sure you'll be quite capable. I know I feel more at ease under your protection that I do with the Senate Guard."

The Senate Guards bristled at that, and Destroyer inwardly groaned. That was just great, the Senator was inadvertently driving a wedge between Hyperion Squad and the Guardsmen. Looking past Kymeri, Destroyer could see Senator Shessaun frown.

"Oh…thank you for believing in us, senator," Jawbreaker said, and Destroyer was sure that his sergeant had supressed a sigh.

One of the Senate Guards stepped forward and placed a hand on Kymeri's shoulder "Senator, with respect, we should be leaving now. We're on a schedule."

Kymeri waved his hand impatiently "Yes, yes, of course. Well, if you'll excuse me, Sergeant…?"

"Jawbreaker, senator."

Kymeri paused, a look of confusion on his face "Certainly a strange name. Ah, well, I look forward to getting to know you and your squad. If you'll excuse us, I'll see you aboard."

The lead Senate Guard turned to his subordinates "Retiko, Murst, Okram, escort the senators to the ship. I'd like to have a word with Hyperion Squad. Blaire, with me."

As the senators and the guards made their way to the ship, the female aide tripped, seemingly on her own feet. She let out a brief cry of surprise, before hitting the ground, where she lay in an undignified heap. Senator Kymeri sighed and rolled his eyes. Cabur hurried over to help her up, but as Destroyer was closer, he beat him to it.

"Th-thanks," The woman mumbled, turning her face away from Destroyer and hurriedly putting her hair back in place.

"Ketya, try to be less clumsy in the future," Senator Kymeri snapped, his face wrinkling as he frowned at his aide.

Ketya bowed her head, her face turning red "Apologies, senator."

"Well, hurry up, girl! We're on a schedule!"

"Yes, senator, at once, senator."

And at that, the aide scrambled to catch up with the others. Destroyer frowned, Kymeri certainly treated Ketya differently to how he treated Hyperion Squad. It had been somewhat uncomfortable to watch, and he felt bad for the young woman. He watched her as she got aboard, the last one to do so.

Destroyer turned his head as he heard Jawbreaker speak "Now, Guardsman, what did you want to talk with us about?"

"Sergeant Trevayl, trooper. And I wanted to let you know that I don't particularly trust you. Not since your lot made such an embarrassing spectacle of yourselves at your base. You're insubordinate, dangerous and the Republic shouldn't have to be blackmailed by its own soldiers," Trevayl said, jabbing his finger at Jawbreaker.

Jawbreaker peered down at the extended digit for a moment, before shoving it aside. "With respect, _Sergeant_ , that wasn't me, and that wasn't my squad. And if I had my way, the _shabuirs_ behind it would have been locked away for their behaviour."

"Great, not even our second mission and we're already getting flak for something those _shabuir_ Nulls did!" Genet complained over the helmet-comm, a clear edge to his voice.

"Genet, quiet!" Cabur hissed.

Sergeant Trevayl cast his gaze up and down Jawbreaker, apparently appraising him "Prove me wrong, Sergeant."

And at that, he and the other Guardsman turned and marched towards the _Point of Light_.

"I don't like them," Genet said after a moment had passed.

"So much for professionalism," Destroyer murmured.


	2. Chapter 2

Aboard the Y164 slave transport, _Brezak_ , its Zygerrian crew were preparing for the arrival of their prey. On the bridge stood its captain, Seuna Misoro. She wore thick, heavily-padded armour and had a blaster carbine and a shock whip clipped to her belt. Her long, red hair was tied back into five long ponytails.

The ship had at one point belonged to the fleet of Orgo the Hutt, before Seuna Misoro and her crew had bought it off him. Krewe had wanted to steal it and kill its crew, but Misoro quickly shot that harebrained plan down. Very few people stole from the Hutts and lived to tell about it, even Zygerrians.

"Are we all prepped and ready?" Misoro asked her first mate, Feldspar.

"Yes, ma'am, we're good to go. I've made sure all our boys are fielding stun net launchers as well as their blasters. And of course, I've made it _very_ clear that the senators are not to be harmed." Feldspar stood at attention, his arms clasped behind his back.

Feldspar had at one point in his life been a member of the Sky Guard. He still wore his armour, and the insignia of the Guard, a brezak skull, was proudly embossed on his shoulder pads. He had ditched the traditional helmet in favour of a metal faceplate, however, and much of the rest of his head was concealed by the full bodysuit that he wore under his armour. Only his yellow eyes and a small patch of skin around them were exposed.

"I don't think I like this plan," a voice from behind the two spoke up.

Misoro saw Feldspar roll his eyes as the two slowly turned to face the speaker.

Krewe was a mountain of a Zygerrian, standing just shy of two meters tall. Equally as impressive as his height was his girth, Krewe was noticeably rotund. Thick, braided hair and a ponytail flowed down to his shoulders, save for a space where a metal plate covered the right side of his skull, and a long, drooping moustache sat limply on his face. An eyepatch covered his right eye, though jagged, savage looking scars crept out from under it.

"The plan will work, Krewe, don't worry about it. I've been assured that everything will work out the way I want it to." Misoro shot Krewe a sharp glance, not quite frowning at him.

Krewe looked unconvinced, evidently not taking the hint. "How do we even know for sure that the ship will breakdown? It'd be safer to just set up a gravity well station and wait."

Misoro balked at that suggestion. "Place a gravity well projector along the _Hydian Way_? Don't be stupid, we'd catch the Senators, and about a thousand other ships. And some of those ships would be heavily armed and have no tolerance for slavers."

Krewe looked as if he were struggling to supress a scowl. After a moment, Misoro could see that he was biting down on his cheek. Finally, he nodded. "Right," he grunted, avoiding eye contact with his captain.

"Krewe, go check your equipment. I don't want any mistakes, not now that we're so close to getting underway." Feldspar ordered, his tone sharp.

Krewe's remaining eye darted to Misoro, who gave him a very slight nod. "Yeah, fine." And at that, Krewe turned and stormed off, moving surprisingly quickly for a man of his size.

Feldspar moved to stand behind Misoro. "I really don't know why you haven't killed that idiot yet."

Misoro shrugged. "Krewe's a loyal beast, and that makes up for his lack of brains. Barely," she said.

Feldspar grunted, his eyes suggesting that he was thoroughly unconvinced. "If you say so."

"How's our prisoner doing?" Misoro asked, eager to change the topic. She could feel a headache coming on, caused by the previous subject.

Typically, a Y164 could ferry over a thousand slaves, but presently, the _Brezak_ was only holding one. Albeit, one that could pay off very well, if sold to the right person.

Feldspar grunted. "Mouthy, we still can't get him to shut up. Most people would have learned after first beating, but not this one."

"Well, beat him some more if necessary, but keep him breathing. Porla the Hutt will pay _very_ good money if we deliver this one alive. Not necessarily completely intact, but _alive_ at least. Remember that." Misoro jabbed her finger at her lieutenant for emphasis.

To his credit, Feldspar neither blinked nor backed away. "Understood ma'am."

Misoro stepped back and nodded. "Good. Go check on him now, we have some time before they get here."

"Ma'am." Feldspar nodded, before spun around and walked curtly out of the bridge.

Misoro turned and stared out the viewport, looking out into the emptiness of space. Watching. Waiting.

This was looking to be a very profitable venture.


	3. Chapter 3

_Consular_ -class Cruiser, _Point of Light_.

 _48 Hours into trip_

Destroyer sat on the bed in his room. He had it all to himself, and he felt vaguely uncomfortable for it. He had never had a room of his own before. Growing up on Kamino, he had always bunked with his squad. It was the same back on Coruscant in Arca Barracks. In some ways, it was refreshing, having space to himself. Destroyer did enjoy it, yet a part of him was almost uncomfortable being on his own. The need to be around others was too deeply ingrained into him. Ever since he had been able to walk, he had been part of a unit, trained to work closely with his squad. Being by himself was almost like losing a sense or a limb; it left him feeling vulnerable and incomplete.

The other members of his squad were off doing their own things, Senator Kymeri having told them to relax. It was a strange request, given that they had been assigned to guard the senators, but Kymeri had been adamant. He seemed content with their mere presence.

Jawbreaker had taken that to mean that he should stick by Senator Shessaun, who had not protested. Her aide, Serris Nottch, seemed quite fascinated by Jawbreaker. It was, perhaps, only natural. Clone troopers were a new experience for the vast majority of the galaxy.

Destroyer got up from the bed and walked out of the room. Being alone was too unsettling; he simply wasn't used to being by himself.

"Hey, Destroyer."

Cabur and one of the Senate Guardsmen were chatting in the corridor outside Destroyer's room. In an attempt to make peace between the commandos and the Guardsmen, Cabur had decided to introduce himself to them. He'd been the most successful with Retiko, a blue-grey skinned Esral'sa'Nikto with fins on the side of his face. Retiko was an oddity. Not only was he one of the few non-Humans in the entire Senate Guard, he was also amiable enough to be on good terms with the commandos. The rest of Retiko's squad was following their sergeant's lead, and keeping their distance.

"Cabur, Private Retiko." Destroyer nodded at each of them.

"Getting cabin fever?" Retiko asked, shooting him a small wave.

"Something like that," Destroyer said, feeling almost guilty. His eyes dropped down, and he was thankful for the fact that his helmet made it impossible for them to tell.

Retiko shook his head. "I wouldn't mind some down time. Sergeant Trevayl's been keeping us busy; he's got us on constantly on patrol. Very exciting." The sarcasm was dripping from Retiko's voice.

"Well, at least someone's taking the security aboard this ship seriously. Kymeri certainly doesn't," Cabur noted.

"Well, it's partially that he thinks he's blasterproof, and it's partially that he thinks nothing's going to happen. Which, in all likelihood, nothing will. Trust me on this, I've done missions like this dozens of times," Retiko shrugged, his tone flippant.

"And why does the senator think he's blasterproof?" Destroyer asked.

"Don't you know? Back before he was a Senator, he was an officer in the Belsmuth Security Force, fought off pirate fleets and all that jatz. He's kind of a hero in the Belsmuth Sector for it."

Cabur frowned. "Strange that a man like him would become a senator, though. Hearing how he talks about civilians, he seems to have nothing but contempt for them. It sounds like he thinks non-soldiers are beneath him."

Destroyer grimaced, that was certainly true. He had seen how Kymeri had treated his aide, Ketya. During the journey, he had continued to snap at her whenever she failed to keep pace with him, or when she tripped. Which was quite often, Destroyer noted; Ketya seemed to be almost superhumanly clumsy. It was as if she was unsure of her own feet. It was very uncomfortable to watch whenever Kymeri went off at Ketya, and Kymeri never seemed to notice the disgusted looks that Senator Shessaun kept giving him.

Destroyer felt his mind wandering when Retiko replied, saying something that seemed to agree with Cabur's observation without impugning the Senator. A moment later, Destroyer found his feet wandering down the corridor once more.

"Where are you going?" Cabur asked, seeming surprised his brother was drifting off so soon.

"I'm just gonna, I dunno, go take a walk around the ship," Destroyer muttered, shrugging.

"Well, okay. Later, Destroyer," Cabur said, sending Destroyer a two-finger salute.

"Yeah, bye."

Destroyer had no particular destination in mind; he was merely wandering the corridors of the ship. He had thought that he wanted to seek out his brothers for company, but after seeing Cabur chatting so easily with Retiko, he wasn't so sure. Destroyer had always been the most solitary of his brothers. Ever since the accident that had scarred his face, he had become withdrawn and independent. Destroyer paused, perhaps what he needed was someone else's company for a change?

Genet, he figured, was in the engine room, talking with the technicians. They had been a little more open to the commandos than the Guardsmen, having none of the same preconceptions, and the techs had been impressed by Genet's technical knowledge. In fact, like Serris, they had seemed intrigued by the clone troopers. Destroyer headed for the engine room, thinking he might try talking to whichever technicians were on duty.

He turned a corner and suddenly came face to face with Senator Kymeri's aide, Ketya. She was a skinny young woman, with mousy-brown hair that hid her right ear, but not her left. She wore her usual tan uniform with blue stripes down the shoulders. Upon seeing Destroyer, Ketya froze like a borrat in the headlights. Destroyer had to fight the urge to tap her, for he had the sudden, absurd thought that she was stuck in place.

"Hello, Ketya," Destroyer greeted, trying his best to sound friendly.

"Oh, h-hello, trooper," Ketya muttered, casting her eyes to the floor and wringing her hands.

Destroyer frowned, this was a typical Ketya greeting and he found it more than a little strange.

Ketya was…Ketya was odd. Throughout the trip, she had been very quiet, mumbling greetings whenever the two had crossed paths, but her eyes had always been on her feet or her hands. She seemed a pleasant enough person, but she was so distant, so quiet. She almost reminded him of himself, but she was even more withdrawn than he was.

"Um, how are you finding the trip so far?" Destroyer asked, trying to start up a conversation. He wondered if that was the best question; he knew he wasn't the most sociable of his brothers. Cabur held that title.

"F-fine, th-thank you," Ketya said, her eyes flicking up to his visor for a brief moment.

"Good, that's good." Destroyer nodded, feeling very awkward as he attempted to force small talk.

Ketya paused, opened her mouth, paused again and after a moment, spoke: "A-and you? Are you enjoying the journey?"

Well, now she was talking, that was progress. "I suppose so. I mean, it's been very uneventful so far, but I guess that's good, you know? Better a boring trip than an exciting one, right?"

"R-right. Though, I'm sure you'd do a very good job of protecting us if anything did happen. S-S-Senator Kymeri has the utmost faith in you." Ketya began to fidget with her hands, twisting her index finger around.

"And, do you?" Destroyer asked, suddenly curious. He wasn't sure why, but he wanted to hear her thoughts on the subject.

"What?" Ketya asked, looking unusually startled. It was as if no one ever asked for her opinion.

"Do you have faith in my squad?" Destroyer repeated.

"I…" For a long moment, Ketya was silent, and she stared down at the floor. Finally, her eyes met Destroyer's visor and she spoke. "I do. I'm confident that you can protect us. You seem like…like very good soldiers." Her eyes began to water and she quickly bowed her head again.

"Are you okay?" Destroyer asked, suddenly alarmed. He hadn't been _trying_ to make her cry, but that was certainly what he seemed to have done.

"Y-yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry, I have to go…." And at that, she hurried off, not meeting Destroyer's gaze as she brushed by him.

Destroyer stood where he was for a moment, completely taken aback.

Destroyer went back in the direction of Cabur and Retiko. Perhaps one of them could help him work out Ketya.

"You made her _cry_?" Cabur asked, frowning.

"Not intentionally!" Destroyer stressed, hoping to avoid having Cabur chew him out. "She just… started crying after I asked her if she was confident we could protect her and the senators. I don't know why."

Cabur placed a hand on his chin. "Well, that's strange."

Retiko snorted. "That's putting it mildly, but that girl _is_ pretty strange. You know I found her hiding in the droid bay yesterday? Just sitting on a crate with her arms wrapped around her legs and her head down. She lacks certain qualities, that one." Retiko shook his head.

"What is she lacking?" Destroyer asked, his head tilted quizzically to the side.

"I'll tell you what she lacks." Retiko held up his fingers and ticked them off one by one. "Self-esteem, self-worth, self-confidence. On the other hand, I know something she has in abundance: self-loathing."

Cabur looked quite troubled by that. "Poor Ketya. I wonder what happened to her to make her this way?"

Retiko shrugged. "Could be any number of things, I suppose. Or it might be that she was born that way. Lots of people just come into existence without a spine."

Destroyer and Cabur both frowned at that remark, though Destroyer spoke up first: "That's not fair, none of us knows what she's been through. I think something must have happened to make her this way."

Retiko's face was dispassionate. "Maybe, but like you said, none of us knows."

It was at that point that Retiko's com-link went off. "Retiko? Where are you?" Sergeant Trevayl's voice crackled after a sharp burst of static.

"Just on my patrols, Sergeant." He turned and winked at Destroyer and Cabur. "I'm passing by the passenger cabins now."

"Well, once you're done, report to the dining room. The senators will be eating soon, and I want you on guard duty. Someone has to be, since it won't be the commandos," Trevayl said, his tone bitter.

Retiko winced and offered an apologetic look to Cabur and Destroyer. "Understood, Sergeant, I'm on my way."

"And if you see the one in the bronze armour, tell him that Senator Kymeri's requested his presence this time. The Senator said that he wants to get to know all of the troopers."

Destroyer's face fell. In an effort to avoid revealing his scars to the other passengers, he had taken to eating his meals in the solitude of his room. As much as he would have preferred to dine with his brothers, the thought of having the senators and their aides stare at his deformity ruled that out.

Now it looked like that was an inevitability.

"Copy that, Sergeant. I'll tell him." Retiko hooked his com-link to his belt and shrugged at the clones. "Sorry about that. He's still a little sour about the Senator's… preferential treatment towards you."

Cabur sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "It's understandable. To be honest, it's a little uncomfortable for us. We're not really used to this."

"Yeah, it's not exactly what we were expecting," Destroyer added, sulkily.

Dining with the senators was an unusual affair. Before the first meal of the trip, Destroyer had figured that he, his brothers and the guardsmen would be standing with their backs to the walls while the senators ate. That had certainly been true for the guardsmen, but not for the commandos. Senator Kymeri had insisted that they eat with him and the others, a move which had surprised the others when Kymeri announced it. Not just the commandos, but Senator Shessaun as well, who had pulled Kymeri aside and exchanged quiet but heated words with him. Whatever she had said to him it had not changed his mind; he still insisted that the commandos eat with them.

"I'm sure. Well, no using standing here, better get to our places," Retiko said, before turning and walking off down the corridor.

Cabur sighed and glanced at Destroyer. "Well, come on, then, let's just hope this doesn't get too awkward." Cabur put his helmet on and followed Retiko.

"Yeah, I'm not sure there's much hope of that," Destroyer muttered to himself. He placed a hand on his armour-plated cheek, slowly running his fingers down the duraplast. His stomach felt like it had tied itself into a knot.

Destroyer hesitantly seated himself between Jawbreaker and Genet. The senators were across the table from them, though Destroyer noted that Senator Shessaun had left an open seat between herself and Senator Kymeri. It did not surprise Destroyer, there seemed to be no love lost between the two. Most of the time, they seemed content to ignore each other, but when they did talk, the words were cold and clipped.

Kymeri was, in comparison, much warmer to the commandos. "Ah, Destroyer, so glad you could join us!"

"Yeah," Destroyer muttered miserably. Using his helmet to make sure it was only audible to himself. After a moment, he unmuted the mic and tried to inject some cheer into his voice. "Thank you, Senator." He didn't think it was too convincing, but Kymeri didn't seem to notice.

Destroyer peered around the room, and noticed that Ketya had yet to arrive. He wondered where she could be; he had expected that she would have arrived before he had. Surely a senator's aide would have a better sense of time than this. Destroyer paused, then wondered why he cared so much about Ketya's whereabouts.

Before he could dwell on it more, the door to the dining room opened, and Ketya hurried through. From the way her hair was dishevelled, and the shortness of her breath, Destroyer assumed that she had hurried to get there.

"Where have you been?" Kymeri asked, expression dark. He looked at Ketya as if she were some lesser creature, or some unpleasant thing he had stepped in. He did not sound angry as much as exasperated.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry, Senator." Ketya bowed her head lower than usual, refusing to meet the Senator's withering gaze. When she spoke, her voice was quiet and timid. "I was…I-I got…lost," she offered weakly.

After a moment, Kymeri exhaled. "Alright, sit down then." He waved towards the chair next to him.

"Yes, S-" Ketya began.

Ketya yelped as she, once again, seemed to trip on her own feet. She flew forward a short distance, before landing gracelessly on the ground, her hair splayed around her head. Destroyer winced and felt a pang of sympathy. Then, his eyes widened as he caught a flash of red under her hair. _Was that…?_

"Two left feet, that one," Genet muttered, leaning in close to Destroyer.

"Genet, be quiet!" Destroyer hissed, shooting his brother a cold, but unseen glare. On Genet's other side, Cabur frowned, before nudging Genet in his side.

Almost at the same time, Destroyer and Cabur got out of their seats and hurried over to Ketya, the two of them helping her to her feet.

"Thank you," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. As she quickly fixed her hair, Destroyer could see that her face was bright red. She was careful to keep the skin around her ear covered by her hand, before putting her hair back in place.

"So clumsy." Kymeri shook his head in disgust. "You know, I took her on as an aide as a favour to her sister." A wistful look crossed his face. "Now, there was a soldier. Fearless, loyal, a damn good shot. What happened to her was a real waste. Now look what I'm stuck with."

Ketya was close to tears. Her face was scarlet and she was blinking rapidly.

"Excuse me, Senator," She mumbled, all but running out of the room.

Kymeri sighed and rolled his eyes, seemingly oblivious to the withering glare that Shessaun was shooting him. Beside her, Serris looked distinctly uncomfortable.

Destroyer stood where he was for a moment, staring at his hands, before sighing and quickly walking out of the room without a word. He ignored the surprised look that Kymeri directed at him, trying hard not to look at the Senator as he passed.

"Destroyer, what are you doing?" Jawbreaker hissed, his voice coming through Destroyer's helmet com.

Destroyer winced. "Sorry, Sergeant," he said, his tone sheepish. Before Jawbreaker got a chance to say anything else, Destroyer shut off his helmet-com. _Oh, I really hope he forgives me for this_ , Destroyer thought, sweat pouring down his forehead as he strode through the halls of the ship.

Destroyer found her sitting on a crate in the droid bay, her head in her hands as she sobbed gently.

"Um, hi," Destroyer said, his tone conveying how awkward he felt.

Ketya's head shot up, and her red, bloodshot eyes met his blue visor, before quickly flicking down to the ground. "Oh! I'm sorry!" She stammered and began to wring her hands. "I shouldn't have run off like that. Th-th-the Senator must be so mad…" She reached up and began wiping her tears away on her wrist.

"It's okay," Destroyer said. "He…he wasn't treating you very well."

Ketya offered a meek shrug. "He doesn't like me very much."

Destroyer rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah, that seems to be the case." He paused, before adding: "I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that."

"Yes, I did. I'm so stupid and clumsy and useless." Ketya balled her hands into fists and thumped them into her lap.

"Well, I mean, you're clumsy, yeah, but you don't seem stupid or useless. You shouldn't let him make you think you are."

"He's my superior," she said, as if that justified it.

"Still doesn't make it right that he treats you that way." Destroyer motioned to the crate next to Ketya. "You mind if I sit with you?"

Ketya looked at him for a moment, seemingly stunned that he wanted to sit with her. Then, she shook her head and started wringing her hands. "Go ahead," she muttered. "If you're sure want to. You'd be missing out on the food."

Destroyer shrugged as he sat next to her. "Honestly? I wasn't really looking forward to dinner anyway."

Her eyes darted up, there was a curious expression on her face. "I noticed that you weren't eating with us."

That surprised him, he wouldn't have thought he had made much of an impression on her. "Oh? You did?"

Ketya nodded. "Uh-huh. I wondered why you weren't there."

It took a moment for Destroyer to respond. "Yeah, well, I like to keep my helmet on around people I don't know. I'm not very comfortable with it off."

She looked confused at that. "Why?"

"Maybe for the same reason you always make sure your hair's covering your right ear," Destroyer speculated.

Ketya hurriedly reached up and covered the right side of her head with her hand. Destroyer tilted his head and peered at her, curiously.

"Why _do_ you cover your ear?" He asked, trying to sound sympathetic. Gentle.

Ketya lowered her head and glanced at Destroyer out of the corner of her eye. "…Hiding," Ketya mumbled.

"What are you hiding?"

She slowly, hesitantly moved her hand to the right side of her head. She carefully swept her hair back, and Destroyer let out a sudden exhale. Her right ear and the skin around it had clearly been very badly burned at some point. The flesh was heavily scarred, while the ear itself had been partially docked.

Just like his ears.

"How did it happen?" He asked, his voice quiet.

"There was a fire. I was trapped, but Melorra, my sister, she saved me. She didn't…" Ketya let out a choked sob. "She didn't make it out."

Destroyer looked down at his hands, unsure of what to say. Kymeri's words earlier suddenly made sense, when he had unfavourably compared Ketya to her sister. He was appalled by just how cruelly the Senator was treating her, especially after the tragedy she had suffered. He felt an aching in his heart for her, now understanding why Ketya was so meek. She deserved better than that, much better.

"I'm sorry," he said, hearing how empty the words would seem if he lost any of his closest brothers. "If it helps, I might know something about how you feel." His hands went to his helmet, and he slowly lifted it up. For once, there was no hesitation.

Her eyes widened and she gasped softly. "Oh! I had no idea that you were…"

"Like me?"

She nodded slowly, then seemed to relax. Her shoulders dropped, she sat up straight and she stopped wringing her hands, placing them in her lap.

She seemed different to Destroyer, now that she was less tense. It was as if a bond had suddenly formed between them, now that they knew they had something in common. She seemed less like a stranger to Destroyer and more like a friend.

"How did you get yours?"

"Training accident. We were learning how to disarm explosives. Mine went off in my face." He held his fingers to his scars and slowly ran his digits down the burned flesh.

Ketya winced. "Weren't you wearing protective gear?"

Destroyer shook his head. "No, it was kind of sink-or-swim on Kamino. I guess I was lucky, my accident wasn't the first time a bomb went off in someone's face. I was just one of the few who lived through it." He smiled a bitter, cheerless smile.

Ketya paled. "That's sick."

Destroyer nodded. "Yeah…yeah it is." He sighed. "Neither of us have had an easy life, huh? But maybe it'll get better from here?"

Ketya sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I hope so. Thanks for coming after me, and for talking to me."

She pulled him into a hug that didn't quite encompass all of him. The move caught him off guard, and for a moment, he froze. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her. He wasn't quite sure what, if anything else he should be doing, so he awkwardly patted her on the back. A warm and unfamiliar, but pleasant feeling spread through him.

"You're kind of uncomfortable to hug," Ketya said, her tone was light. It was a marked change from how sad she normally sounded.

"Yeah, I don't think the people who designed this armour gave being able to give and receive hugs top priority." Destroyer pulled away and looked down at Ketya.

She offered a small, hesitant smile. The change was incredible; even more than her better posture, the smile almost made her look like a different person. She was, Destroyer realised, actually very pretty.

"It's nice to see you smile," Destroyer said, a strange, fluttering feeling welling up in his stomach.

"It's nice _to_ smile," Ketya replied. She reached up and rubbed her eyes. "I'm glad I met you. You're so nice."

 _That's a first_ , Destroyer thought. No one had ever told him that he was nice before. But then, he had never really opened up to anyone like he had with Ketya. It was different with even his brothers, they couldn't relate to him like Ketya could. She understood, what it was like to be different from others. Just as he did.

Before Destroyer could say anything, the ship rocked violently and all sound was drowned out by an explosion. Destroyer and Ketya were both thrown off their feet. Destroyer thought he heard Ketya scream, but with the roar of the blast, he couldn't be sure.

As he came to his senses, Destroyer was thankful for the sturdiness of his armour. "Are you okay?" Destroyer asked, hauling himself back up.

"I think so…" Ketya nodded groggily. Her hair was splayed out around her face, half-blinding her. Her arm waved around for a moment, before connecting with Destroyer's outstretched hand, and he pulled her to her feet.

"I need to check in with my squad." Destroyer winced, hoping that Jawbreaker would not be too mad that he had been silent for so long. He put his helmet on and reactivated his helmet-com.

Destroyer cringed as Jawbreaker screamed into his ear. "-AMN IT, DESTROYER! REPORT!"

"I'm here, Sergeant. What happened?" Destroyer asked, his ears aching from the sudden assault.

"We're not certain, but Genet thinks that it was an explosion in the engineering section. We haven't been able to get in contact with the engineers to confirm it."

Another voice came through, faint, but just audible. "We're dead in the water." Destroyer recognised it as Sergeant Trevayl.

Destroyer felt his blood run cold. "Some kind of accident?" He asked, despite the fact that he realised how improbable that was.

"Given the circumstances, I think that's unlikely," Jawbreaker replied, his tone dry.

"Yeah, figured," Destroyer muttered.

"Wait, I'm looking outside a viewport. A ship's just dropped out of hyperspace. Looks like it's roughly the same size as ours."

"Too much to hope it's a rescue ship?" Genet's voice broke in sardonically.

"When are we ever that lucky?" Jawbreaker asked grimly.

"Separatist ship?" Destroyer asked.

"It doesn't look like it, it looks more like a cargo freighter than a warship. It's only lightly armed, from what I can tell. It doesn't have the Separatist emblem, either."

"Pirates or Separatist privateers then?" Cabur suggested.

"Or slavers," Jawbreaker added.

Destroyer felt his blood run cold. This was bad, to say the least. It would come down to a fight, and a shoot-out aboard a ship could get very messy indeed. Especially since they had no way of knowing how many beings they would be repelling and what kind of weapons they'd be armed with.

Destroyer turned and saw that Ketya was staring at him. Her eyes were wide with dread, and she was wringing her hands again.

"What is it?" Ketya asked.

Destroyer paused before he answered. As much as he did not want to scare her, she needed to know how serious the situation was. "We're in trouble."

Misoro slammed a power pack into her blaster pistol and examined it. Satisfied, she returned it to its holster, then turned to face her crew, assembled outside the airlock. There were sixteen of them in total, which was more than enough to handle the troopers guarding the senators. The firepower they were fielding would see to that.

"Remember, we only need the senators alive. Anyone else is a bonus." She flashed a grin, showing off her razor-sharp teeth. "Boys, we're gonna be rich after this one!"


End file.
